On the night of Friday the 13, 2017, I went to the infamous Halloween Haunt at Kings Dominion, a series of haunted houses and walk-throughs evenly dispersed throughout the amusement park, well known for its frightening themes and monsters that jump up and scare people. We could hear the screams throughout the park on that dark night, and the atmosphere was ominous. At the start of the night at exactly 7 o’clock, the monsters awoke after a cheesy ceremony. Slowly, the creatures dispersed into the cloudy night.

One of the most haunting themes was the Feary Tales section. The clever play on words perfectly matched the overall feel of the experience. When first walking up to the attraction, it is hard to make out because of the fog meant to hide the monsters. Upon further inspection,  the children’s decor and story characters with a dark twist come into view more clearly.  The Alice In Wonderland character with a blonde wig, a blue dress, and an ax buried into her skull stood out most among the monsters.

On the flip side, the Zombie High School, complete with a Homecoming dance gone wrong and lockers holding severed heads won the best haunted house distinction, due to its perfect decoration to jump-scare ratio. Most of the other houses included more decorations than people jumping out. The members of my group agreed that the jump scares are the backbone of the house, providing the scariest experience of any haunted house for anyone over the age of 12. This house met all demands with the perfect amount of scares. While other houses had decorations hanging from the ceiling, a detail that annoyed almost everyone I encountered, the Zombie High School one had the least, to my relief. This house had the perfect balance of what thrill-seekers wanted in an experience.

Although most of the roller coasters did not run during the event,  The Flight of Fear had actually been turned into a haunted house; however, that was not the best ride there, nor was it the nauseating Drop Tower or the head bouncing Dominator; the best ride prize went the Rebel Yell. Instead of knocking my head from side to side or sending me upside down, this ride shot off with many downhills and turns that whipped side to side, providing easily the best ride open that day.

At the end of the night, 10 o’clock, we headed for home. Everyone was tired with sore feet from walking and sore throats from screaming.   I highly recommend the experience, especially with friends; the scary monsters, riveting rides, and haunting houses make the Halloween spirit come alive.